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BrickAndMortar

Soon, you might be able to buy a new Kindle at an actual, brick-and-mortar Amazon Store. The e-commerce giant is reportedly opening its first pilot store in Seattle. It's an intriguing idea, but the real question is: Why would Amazon want to?

Retailers are spicing up their brick-and-mortar stores to keep you walking through the door. Their game plan? To design environments that are equal parts high-tech and homespun. But will the changes be enough to keep physical stores from being reduced to showrooms for e-commerce sites?

While Apple%u2019s products and digital media stores continue to thrive, its once-ascendant retail operation is losing some luster. But if stagnant retail growth in Apple Stores is worrisome, it's not time yet to hit the panic button.

On Dec. 10, Amazon offered a special deal to shoppers who used its smartphone app in brick-and-mortar stores: Scan certain items, and the Web retailer would give them an extra 5% off. Critics cried foul. In one tactless move, has Amazon cast itself as the new mom-and-pop business killer?

A pair of Walmart.com stores have opened in two California shopping malls. The stores are tiny, but stock some hot items for the holiday season, and boast a fleet of laptops that customers can use to browse the virtual aisles of Walmart.com. It's a smart move for Walmart, but it begs the question: What were the mall landlords thinking?

The death of bookstore chain Borders begs the question: Is there still a place in the Internet-dominated market for brick-and-mortar booksellers and the value they add? Independent bookstores thinks so, and the numbers in the American Booksellers Association, believe it or not, are growing.